Latest news with #17News'
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Rep. Vince Fong introduces SKIM Act to combat EBT fraud
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — For months, KGET has followed the EBT fraud crisis in Kern County. What started out as calls to our newsroom led to the revelation of dozens of victims and thousands of dollars in benefits stolen. The investigation shed light on millions of stolen dollars and a sophisticated Romanian crime ring operating across the county. After countless attempts of asking elected officials for answers, change may be coming from Capitol Hill. Skimming Scheme: The Romanian crime ring stealing EBT benefits in Kern County On Friday, Rep. Vince Fong (R-Bakersfield) introduced the 'Stopping Klepto-card and Identity Misuse Act' — or SKIM Act. This legislative effort is specifically designed to crack down EBT theft, that is Electronic Benefit Transfer, known as CalFresh and CalWorks in California. Rep. David Valadao (R-Hanford) is a co-sponsor of the bill. Through 17 News' investigation, we uncovered that the California Department of Social Services has lost more than $439 million in EBT benefits since 2021. In the last seven months, more than $2 million in Kern County taxpayer money has been stolen. Ex-Arvin teacher accused of sex with underage student set for hearing next week The SKIM Act directs the U.S. Attorney to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts to fight EBT fraud. It also asks sentencing guidelines to be much harder on EBT thieves. The bill also asks the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to submit a report to Congress on their efforts to prevent, investigate, prosecute, and sentence convicted EBT thieves. You can read the SKIM Act in full here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Yahoo
Romanian EBT theft suspect pleads no contest to all charges
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — A Romanian man accused with two others of stealing more than $100,000 in EBT funds pleaded no contest Monday to all charges for a court-indicated two-year prison term. The open plea was made over the objection of prosecutor Anthony Yim, who said defendant Alberto-Ionel Baran faced up to 10 years and eight months in prison if convicted at trial. Baran deserves more than two years in custody after he 'massively disrupted the lives' of more than 175 people who couldn't withdraw the benefits they needed, Yim said. In response, defense attorney Victor Nasser noted there are two other defendants charged in the case and the amount the prosecution says was stolen can't be attributed solely to Baran. Judge Gloria Cannon said she took into account Baran's lack of a prior criminal record and his youth — he's 24 — in making her decision. She said she's aware many people were impacted. Sentencing is set for June 3. In November 2024, Baran and two other Romanians — Fernando Stantu and Mari-Mar Milica — were arrested after being found with 48 cloned EBT cards and more than $15,000 in stolen cash, according to prosecutors. A total of seven Romanian nationals have been identified in Kern County for EBT fraud. Click here for more on 17 News' investigation into this widespread fraud that's affecting thousands of people countywide. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Convicted child killer out on parole not allowed back in Kern County
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — 54-year-old Michael Todd Panella, a convicted Kern County child killer, is a free man. Panella was released on parole Wednesday morning, after 25 years behind bars. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said Panella is not allowed back in Kern County, where the crime occurred. He will be a parolee for life. 'First of all, I was told he was never going to come up for parole, it'll always be denied,' said Tammy Bell, mother of the victim, Johnathen Bell. At just 20-months-old, little Johnathen Bell was brutally abused and murdered by Panella, Bell's then-boyfriend of three months. Bell said even after two decades, it's a daily reminder her baby boy was taken too soon. 'I tell him I love you and he goes, I love you, like it was like cute,' said Bell. 'And I'd be like, you love momma? Mhm. And like I'd go, I love you, Johnathen. It's like, those are the last words I had with him,' said Bell. The irony for Bell, is that April is Child Abuse and Prevention Awareness Month. Bakersfield couple charged with child cruelty, drug crimes after confrontation with daughter Bell said she still too-vividly remembers young Johnathen's cold body she found in her bed the night of November 27, 1999. 'I remember laying him on the floor, trying to do CPR, which I didn't know how, I didn't know CPR, I was young,' Bell recalled. 'This is not over,' Bell said of Panella's release. 'He will not, I will make sure he's not comfortable in his own skin…If they can't protect me and keep him in there, or protect my other kids that are living, you know?' A jury in October 2000 found Panella guilty of first-degree murder and he was sentenced to 25 years to life. According to court documents, Johnathen suffered at least 50 bruises to his hips, head, face and extremities, ultimately dying from multiple blunt impacts to his abdomen, which caused internal bleeding and dehydration. Panella's parole conditions include not having unsupervised contact with minors under the age of seven. It's unclear at this time where Panella is, but he was released in San Luis Obispo. 17 News' Jenny Huh: 'Do you feel safe?' Tammy Bell: 'No, I don't feel safe for my other kids living. I don't feel safe. I don't, I shouldn't have to pack up and move. This is my town. This is where my kids were born. He don't, he is not from here.' Here's a timeline of how Panella's parole came to be. A 2020 state law on elderly parole reduced requirements for inmates at least 50 who served 20 years of their sentence — Panella became eligible for his first parole hearing in July 2021. Parole was granted, but after much appeal, including from Bell, Governor Gavin Newsom reversed the decision. Panella faced another parole hearing in February 2023. Parole was denied for three years. But for reasons undisclosed, Panella had his third hearing in October 2024. Parole was granted. This time, Newsom did not reverse the decision. 17 News' Capitol Correspondent Eytan Wallace had the chance to ask Newsom about Panella at a Wednesday morning press conference. Newsom stated, 'That's not atypical. A reversal is not always in perpetuity. There's always an opportunity to come back.' In a statement to 17 News, a Newsom spokesperson further explained the governor's decision. 'The Board of Parole Hearings determined this individual was not a public safety risk. The Governor asked the full Board to review it again and sent back the case. The full Board once again reached the same conclusion and so by law he is entitled to be released on parole.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Yahoo
Driver ‘devastated' after crash that killed 8-year-old: attorney
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — Since October, when her car hit an 8-year-old boy, inflicting fatal injuries, Judith Deval has experienced 'complete emotional difficulty,' her attorney said Friday. She's felt afraid, is in therapy and hasn't driven a car. Defense lawyer Kyle J. Humphrey said he believes she has post-traumatic stress disorder. Deval was charged this week with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence, a felony. Police say Deval was carrying on a phone conversation — holding her cellphone to her ear — when the crash occurred. Humphrey, however, said what happened was an accident, plain and simple. Woman arrested after taking down US flag, raising Mexican flag at Hart Park: Kern County Sheriff's Office 'My client was involved in this tragic, terrible accident that has hurt everybody, herself included,' he said. 'She's devastated by it, she has so much pain for that family . . . in something where there was no alcohol, no drugs, no intention. A simple accident that could happen to anybody.' The boy's family doesn't see it that way. They told 17 News' Connor Dore that it's illegal to have your phone in your hand while driving — and they want Deval to see jail time. The District Attorney's Office declined comment 'to protect the integrity of the case.' On the afternoon of Oct. 16, Deval, 41, allegedly had her cellphone to her ear, talking with an aunt while driving north on Holtby Road. She came to a complete stop at Bank Street to let children and parents pass, then began moving forward. She never saw Ricardo Aguilar as he crossed from the north sidewalk, according to police. Her car hit him and he went under the front wheels, police say in a court filing. Deval stopped and got out, but left the car in reverse instead of park; it backed over the boy. Ricardo died the next day. Humphrey said this is a situation where an object goes unnoticed for a moment, and tragedy results. 'I had all the inspiration I needed right there': Kern County firefighter battling cancer touched by fellow firefighters' gesture He said he's only recently received reports, and would not confirm his client was on the phone or otherwise distracted. But he questioned whether being on the phone while driving was more distracting than listening to the radio, talking with a passenger or drinking from a water bottle — all legal activities. 'I think people want to have a bad guy, and they forget that accidents happen, and can happen to any of us,' he said. 'It doesn't change the tragedy for the family, but there's certainly no criminal intent.' A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled in May. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
